Some devices and/or materials in operation may experience extreme low or high temperatures on one side, such as on an exterior of the device, but no significant temperature extreme on another side, such as an inside of the device. Some of these representative devices and/or materials may include: thruster nozzles of satellites and launch vehicles, cryogenic tanks; radomes; apertures; hypersonic inlets; high speed control surfaces; rocket nozzles; ablators; space mirrors; pyrotechnic gas generators; thermal batteries; high-temperature EMI shields and gaskets; specialty coatings; rigid insulators; aerogels; CMC ceramics; monolithic ceramics; and/or other types of devices and materials. As a result of the single-side, thermal shock experienced by these devices and/or materials, a large thermal gradient may be experienced through a thickness of the devices or materials. This large thermal gradient may alter the performance of the devices or materials, and/or may lead to failure.
Some existing apparatus and/or methods for testing a specimen, in order to determine the single-side, thermal shock experienced by such devices or materials, may include: Quartz infrared banks; laser irradiation; high speed wind tunnels; arc jet test chambers; and hot plates. However, these apparatus and/or methods, with the exception of the hot plate, may require elaborate setups, equipment, and controls that may be extremely costly. The hot plate may have limitations including: potential altering of the tested specimen's performance due to physical contact of the heater with the specimen; low heating rate potential, and temperature variations, during the testing, across the heated surface of the specimen.
An apparatus and/or method is needed which may solve one or more problems of one or more of the conventional apparatus and methods for single-side, thermal shock testing of a specimen.